After retiring from education in 2001, Richard Sykes was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in Augusta in 2002. Previously, Sykes was principal of Maine's largest high school, Lewiston High School in Lewiston, where he helped significantly decrease the school's dropout rate from 11.3 percent in 1986-1987 to 4.1 percent in 1991-1992. Sykes implemented many cutting-edge programs, including an Infant Care Program, a Wellness Clinic, an Air Force Junior Reserve Training Corps, a Study Skills Center, and a Work Advantage Program. Sykes was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Secondary Principals in 1999.
1966 University of New Hampshire, B.S.
